Digital Commons Network^™

Why Do They Go? Community College Students And Post-Secondary Pursuits In Central Appalachia, Christina Jo Wright

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on how rural community college students make decisions regarding their post-secondary plans. To understand these decision processes, I interviewed students, faculty and administrators at Southeast Community and Technical College in Harlan County, Kentucky. The literature informing my research reflects on rural college going patterns. Most studies connect place and post-secondary plans. Central Appalachia has among the lowest population percentages with Bachelor degrees in the country. Studies argue this is because of limited application for such degrees in the region. Matching their education and training to local job market requirements, people hesitate to complete advanced degrees when little …

Studies Toward The Total Synthesis Of (±)-Α-Yohimbine By Double Annulation, Raghu Ram Chamala

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The indole alkaloids, a class of natural products, have received much synthetic attention for years due to their diverse structures and interesting biological properties. We are particularly interested in synthesizing some of the yohimbine alkaloids extracted from the bark of a tall evergreen African tree (Corynanthe yohimbe, commonly known as fringe tree). Yohimbine and its stereoisomers have been tempting targets for synthetic organic chemists for more than fifty years. These compounds feature a pentacyclic ring system with two heteroatoms and five stereogenic centers.

Broadly, the fifteen different synthetic approaches that led to the successful completion of yohimbine alkaloids …

Chromium, Copper, And Arsenic Concentration And Speciation In Soil Adjacent To Chromated Copper Arsenate (Cca) Treated Lumber Along A Topohydrosequence, Donald Roy Schwer Iii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), and Copper (Cu) are ubiquitous in soils as a result of anthropogenic and geogenic processes. The fate of As, Cr, and Cu in the environment is largely governed by their speciation, which is influenced by soil physiochemical properties. This study investigated the influence of soil physiochemical properties and landscape position on As, Cr, and Cu concentration and speciation in soils adjacent to Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated lumber fence posts. Concentration gradients showed elevated total As and Cu adjacent to the three fence posts, which decreased with increasing distance from the posts. In addition, As and …

Remote Controlled Hydrogel Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications, Nitin S. Satarkar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

There is significant interest in the development of hydrogels and hydrogel nanocomposites for a variety of biomedical applications including drug delivery, sensors and actuators, and hyperthermia cancer treatment. The incorporation of nanoparticulates into a hydrogel matrix can result in unique material characteristics such as enhanced mechanical properties, swelling response, and capability of remote controlled (RC) actuation. In this dissertation, the development of hydrogel nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes, actuation with remote stimulus, and some of their applications are highlighted.

The primary hydrogel nanocomposite systems were synthesized by incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles into temperature responsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) matrices. Various nanocomposite properties …

Public School Choice And The Public-Private School Decision, Kylie Goggins

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a compilation of three studies related to public school choice issues. Chapter 2 examines whether access to public schools of choice influences a household’s decision to choose private school for their child. I employ a multistate, individual-level data-set on students and their families — for which I have been granted access to restricted geo-code information. I supplement these data by matching students with their respective school districts using geographic information systems (GIS); I then examine whether relative measures of public school choice (PSC) in a school district influence the household’s public-private school decision. I find slight evidence …

Lifting As We Climb: Experiences Of Black Diversity Officers At Three Predominantly White Institutions In Kentucky, Erica Nićcole Johnson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Recently, colleges and universities across the country have created executive level positions responsible for institutional diversity. The origins of this work within higher education lay in the civil rights movements and its consequences for desegregation of higher education. Early diversity officer positions usually resided within student affairs. However, as the responsibilities of these offices have changed, the reporting lines have also changed such that diversity officers are now commonly situated within academic affairs. This exploratory study examines these administrative positions responsible for diversity at southern white institutions. The research takes an in-depth look at how these positions have shifted over …

Evolutionary Perspective Of Nicotine To Nornicotine Conversion, Its Regulation And Characterization Of Ein2 Mediated Ethylene Signaling In Tobacco, Manohar Chakrabarti

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Nicotine, nornicotine, anabasine and anatabine are four major alkaloids in tobacco, of which nicotine is predominant. In many tobacco cultivars and also in other Nicotiana species, nicotine is converted to nornicotine, which in turn gives rise to potent carcinogen NNN. Nicotine to nornicotine conversion via nicotine-N-demethylation is mediated by the CYP82E family of P450 enzymes. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) converts in senescing leaves, while its diploid progenitors N.tomentosiformis and N.sylvestris convert in both green and senescing and only in senescing leaves, respectively. Previously it has been shown that N.tomentosiformis has different active conversion loci in green and senescing leaves. …

Three Worlds Of Western Punishment: A Regime Theory Of Cross-National Incarceration Rate Variation, 1960-2002, Matthew Demichele

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation offers an explanation of cross national incarceration rate variation for 17 industrialized countries for the second half of the 20^th century. Both historical case studies and time-series cross-section analyses are used to provide an institutional explanation of incarceration rate differences. Borrowing from Weber’s Sociology of Law and comparative legal scholarship, it is suggested that three types of legal thinking exist among western democracies—Common, Romano-Germanic, and Nordic law. A regime approach commonly applied in political economic explanations of welfare state development is used to quantify the legal and criminal justice institutional differences between 1960 and 2002 to assert …

Alcohol Dose And Aggression: Another Reason Why Drinking More Is A Bad Idea, Aaron Adriel Duke

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A wealth of studies have examined the impact of alcohol on violence; however, only a small number have addressed differences elicited by different doses of alcohol. Such studies are seriously limited by mixed findings, small sample sizes, inconsistent alcohol doses and control conditions, a bias toward studying only male participants, and the predominant use of only one particular measure to assess aggression. The present laboratory investigation was designed to elucidate and advance this literature by improving upon these limitations. Participants were 187 (95 men and 92 women) social drinkers. Following the consumption of one of 6 alcohol doses (i.e., 0.0g/kg; …

Local Synaptic Network Interactions In The Dentate Gyrus Of A Cortical Contusion Model Of Posttraumatic Epilepsy, Robert F. Hunt Iii

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Posttraumatic epilepsy is a common consequence of brain trauma. However, little is known about how long-term changes in local excitatory and inhibitory synaptic networks contribute to epilepsy after closed-head brain injury. This study adapted a widely used model of experimental brain injury as a mouse model of posttraumatic epilepsy. Behavioral seizure activity and alterations in synaptic circuitry in the dentate gyrus were examined in mice after experimental cortical contusion brain injury. Spontaneous behavioral seizures were observed in 20% of mice after moderate injury and 36-40% of mice weeks after severe injury. In the dentate gyrus, most mice displayed regionally localized …

A Comparison Of The Reiss Profile With The Neo Pi-R Assessment Of Personality, Sara E. Boyd

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) could account for significant variance within a measure of personality developed for the intellectually disabled (i.e., the Reiss Profile of Fundamental Motives), as well as to consider their comparative validity. The NEO PI-R and the Reiss Profile of Fundamental Motives were administered to 127 undergraduate students in conjunction with the Personality Research Form (PRF) and the Behavior Report Form (BRF). The NEO PI-R was able to account for a substantial amount of variance in the Reiss Profile scales, and the Reiss and the NEO accounted …

Studies Of The Effects Of Dopamine Neuron Stimulating Peptides In Rodent Models Of Normal And Dysfunctional Dopaminergic Systems, Joshua Lee Fuqua

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A theoretical post-translational processing model of the proprotein form of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) likely produces three biologically active peptides. The three prospective peptides formed are 5, 11, and 17 amino acid peptides, entitled dopamine neuron stimulating peptide -5 (DNSP-5), -11 (DNSP-11), and -17 (DNSP-17), respectively. The DNSPs were hypothesized to increase dopaminergic neuron function because of their relationship to GDNF: a molecule with established neurotrophic actions on dopaminergic neurons. The DNSPs have the potential to provide a therapeutic molecule similar to GDNF, but with increased ease of delivery and improved bioavailability.

Neurochemical effects of DNSPs were examined …

Dissecting The Biosyntheses Of Gilvocarcins And Ravidomycins, Madan Kumar Kharel

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Gilvocarcin V (GV) and ravidomycin (RMV) exhibit excellent antitumor activities in the presence of near-UV light at low concentration maintaining a low in vivo cytotoxicity. Although, the exact molecular mechanism for in vivo actions of these antibiotics has yet to be determined, a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction of the vinyl side chain with DNA thymidine residues in addition to the inhibition of topoisomerase II and DNAhistone H3 cross-linking are reported for the GV’s mechanism of action. Such activities have made these molecules interesting candidates for the biosynthetic investigation to generate analogues with improved activity/solubility. Previous biosynthetic studies have suggested that the …

Social Categories And Health Care Outcomes: African American Women And Hiv Survival In The Urban South, Alyson J. O'Daniel

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This ethnographic research examines the daily life and institutional conditions under which low-income Black women in urban North Carolina perceived and attended to HIV health-related needs. I focus specifically on the interplay among women’s living conditions, programmatic service needs, and their strategies for navigating the local system of care to explore and refine the categorical label “low income.” I found that there were significant differences among study participants in terms of their monthly incomes and financial resources, housing quality and status, and personal experiences with incarceration and substance abuse. The economic differences among women translated into social differences within the …

Development Of Novel Ahr Antagonists, Hyosung Lee

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a sensor protein, activated by aromatic chemical species for transcriptionally regulating xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. AHR is also known to be involved in a variety of pathogenesis such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis, asthma, etc. The AHR signaling induced by xenobiotics has been intensively studied whereas its physiological role in the absence of xenobiotics is poorly understood. Despite a number of ligands of AHR have been reported thus far, further applications are still hampered by the lack of specificity and/or the partially agonistic activity. Thus, a pure AHR antagonist is needed for deciphering the AHR cryptic …

Public Higher Education Governance: An Empirical Examination, Jacob Fowles

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Public higher education is a large enterprise in the United States. Total state expenditures for higher education totaled nearly $152 billion dollars in FY2008, accounting for over ten percent of total state expenditures and representing the single largest category of discretionary spending in most states (NASBO, 2009). The last three decades have witnessed the introduction of hundreds of pieces of legislation across states which make structural changes to state higher education governance systems (Marcus, 1997; McLendon, Deaton, and Hearn, 2007). Despite the ubiquity of state higher education governance change much remains unknown, both in terms of why states choose to …

Function Of Androgen Receptor In Prostate Cancer Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition And Microtubule Targeting, Menglei Zhu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer and the third leading cause of cancer mortality among men in the US. Androgens are functionally required for the normal growth of the prostate gland and play a critical role in prostate tumor development and progression. Epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) is an important process during normal development, and cancer cell metastasis.

This study examined the ability of androgens to influence EMT of prostate cancer epithelial cells and evaluate the effect of taxol chemotherapy on androgen signaling in prostate cancer cells in prostate cancer. The EMT pattern was evaluated on the basis of expression …

Executive Deficits In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Examining The Consequences Of Self-Regulatory Impairment On Quality Of Life, Abbey R. Roach

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks the motor system and contributes to a range of cognitive and behavioral impairments (e.g., behavioral and emotional disinhibition, planning and problem solving difficulties, impulsivity, attention, and personality change). This executive dysfunction may contribute to selfregulatory impairment across several domains, including cognitive skills, thought processes, emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and physiology, that may be crucial to the quality of life (QOL), or well being, of patients and their caregivers. Given the relentless course and prognosis of ALS, palliative treatments for ALS should target the full range of self-regulatory deficits. Thirty-seven …

Miscellany, Lisa Ragsdale, Haley Johnson, Amy Dexter, Danielle Schudder, Jessie Frary, Laura Williamson, Kaylee Landress, Sydney Chapman, John Pope, Anna Ford, Ryan Caronongan, Lee Guentert, Jacob Riley King, Kate Felzien, Chad Cleand, Michael Carter, Kayla Hurley, Ben Mitchell, Philip Clements, Robby Hurd, Zachary Pullen, Latoya Davis, Xavier Best, Jennifer Maldonado, Jason Newton, Brandon Giuella, Thomas Akins, Benjamin Easterwood, Megan Sutherland, Michael Sapp, Stella Oloyede, Matthew Lane, Neeka Burns, Heath Harrington, Patrick Schuler, Patrick Lewis, Christina Lyn Riley, Gracie Kessenich, Victoria Evans, Gerrard Davis

Miscellany

• Art
• Writing

Progress Towards The Synthesis Of Type B Polycyclic Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinol 7-Epi-Clusianone, Pushpa Suresh Jayasekara Mudiyanselage

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Plants of the family Guttiferae produce polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs), which have interesting biological activities including anticancer and antibacterial properties. The main structural features of PPAPs comprise of bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4,9-triketone with one acyl group together with prenyl, geranyl, or other C₁₀H₁₇ groups. 7-epi-Clusianone, a type B PPAP with C-7 endo stereochemistry, is being approached by establishing the cis relationship with C(4) allyl group and C(2) methyl ester in the early stage of the synthesis. Then C(2) methyl ester is converted to alkyne aldehyde and syn reduction followed by intramolecular aldol reaction to give bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane structure with …

The Radiosensitization Effect Of Parthenolide In Prostate Cancer: Implications For Selective Cancer Killing By Modulation Of Intracellular Redox State, Yulan Sun

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Parthenolide (PN), a major active component of the traditional herbal medicine feverfew, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. More remarkably, the cytotoxicity of PN seems selective to tumor cells but not their normal cell counterparts. In the present study, we investigate whether and how PN selectively enhances tumor sensitivity to radiation therapy by using prostate cancer cells LNCaP, DU145 and PC3, as well as normal prostate epithelial cells PrEC.

Our study demonstrates that inhibition of NF-κB pathway and suppression of its downstream target MnSOD are common mechanisms for the radiosensitization effect of PN in prostate cancer cells. …

Racial /Ethnic Differences In Susceptibility And Intention To Smoke On Smoking Behavior Among Adolescents, Kafilat Tolani Jimba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Every year, more than 400,000 Americans die prematurely because of tobacco use, and most users began smoking during their teen years. Adolescent tobacco use remains the nation's most preventable threat to life and health. A better understanding of the relationships between susceptibility to smoking and intention to smoke on smoking behavior by ethnicity, age, and gender is useful for program planners and health educators in designing ethnic, age, and gender specific strategies for tobacco control and prevention initiatives. The purpose of this study was to test the relationships between susceptibility to smoking and intention to smoke on smoking behavior among …

Considering The Power Of Context: Racism, Sexism, And Beloging In The Vicarious Traumatization Of Counselors, Katharine J. Hahn

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Recent concerns have arisen about the effects on counselors of working with trauma survivors. Vicarious traumatization may be a normal developmental process of adapting to client trauma material and may ultimately result in vicarious posttraumatic growth, or positive changes arising from vicarious trauma. Most studies have focused on individual variables or clinician coping strategies that predict vicarious traumatization. Taking a feminist approach to vicarious traumatization, this study examined the role of workplace context variables, such as sense of belonging in the workplace and support for vicarious trauma at work, on counselor vicarious traumatization and vicarious posttraumatic growth. Stratified random sampling …

Acculturation, Social Support, And Self-Esteem As Predictors Of Mental Health Among Foreign Students: A Study Of Nigerian Nursing Students, Verna V. Lafleur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigerians are an integral part of the nursing profession, yet there is no literature on their common health risks, such as homesickness, isolation and suicide ideation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between lack of acculturation, social support, and self-esteem and mental health among Nigerian nursing students. Berry's model of acculturation was used which identifies individuals perception of self in relation to their ethnic culture and the host culture. A sample of 76 Nigerian nursing students enrolled in Baccalaureate nursing programs from 3 universities in the District of Columbia and Maryland participated in the study. Data …

Modulation Of The Alpha-7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Following Experimental Rat Brain Injury Improves Cellular And Behavioral Outcomes, Thomas Matt Woodcock

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide, and survivors are often left with cognitive deficits and significant problems with day to day tasks. To date, therapeutic pharmacological treatments of TBI remain elusive despite numerous clinical trials. An improved understanding of the molecular and cellular response to injury may help guide future treatment strategies. One promising marker for brain injury is the translocator protein (TSPO), which is normally expressed at a low level, but is highly expressed following brain damage and is associated with neuroinflammation. The isoquinoline carboxamide PK11195 binds selectively to the TSPO …

Integration Of The Regression-Based Land Use Model And The Combined Trip Distribution-Assignment Transportation Model, Meiwu An

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Regional growth caused the emergence of traffic congestion and pollution in the past few decades, which have started to affect small urban areas. These problems are not only related to transportation system design but also to land use planning. There has been growing recognition that the relationship between land use and transportation needs to be understood and analyzed in a consistent and systematic way. Integrated urban models have recently been introduced and implemented in several metropolitan areas to systematically examine the relationship between land use and transportation. The general consensus in the field of integrated urban models is that each …

Grazing Evaluation Of A Novel Endophyte Tall Fescue Developed For The Upper Transition Zone, Jennifer Michelle Johnson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A wild-type endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum [(Morgan-Jones & Gams) Glen Bacon & Hanlin]) that infects tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh. = Schedonorous arundinaceum (Schreb.) Dumort.] imparts tolerances to moisture, heat, and grazing stresses, but also produces ergot alkaloids that adversely affect performance and physiology of cattle. Novel endophytes, developed by AgResearch Ltd. NZ, can sustain fescue persistence and productivity, but do not produce toxic ergot alkaloids. University of Kentucky Plant Breeder, T. D. Phillips Ph.D, developed a tall fescue experimental population (KYFA9301) for the upper transition zone. A 2-yr grazing experiment was conducted with steers to evaluate steer …

Improvement Of New Oil Crops For Kentucky, Watchareewan Jamboonsri

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Three oil crops, chia (Salvia hispanica L.), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), and castor (Ricinus communis L.), were studied because of their nutritional and industrial values. Chia and flax are rich in an ω3 fatty acid, α-linolenic acid, and castor is a very high oil producer and high in a hydroxy fatty acid. Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and gamma rays were employed to mutagenize chia seeds to produce early flowering mutants. The M₁ population was grown and induced to flower by short-day photoperiods. The M₂ population was planted in the field in Lexington, KY in 2008. Early …

Modeling Water Use In Nursery Crops, Amy Fulcher

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Water use is an important topic in the global agriculture community and is a critical input in nursery crop production. Several plants in the genus Cornus are important nursery crops. Not only are they economically relevant, they are found in grafted and seedling forms and parents and their hybrid are readily available in the trade, facilitating an assessment of water requirements. Anecdotal information suggests that Cornus taxa have differing stress tolerance and water use requirements. Research was conducted to characterize and model water use among Cornus taxa. Scanning electron microscopy and anatomy‐based micromorphological studies as well as transpiration chamber‐based studies …

Evaluation And Enhancement Of Seed Lot Quality In Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum Dactyloides (L.) L.], Cynthia Hensley Finneseth

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] is a warm-season, perennial grass which is native to large areas across North America. Cultivars, selections and ecotypes suitable for erosion control, wildlife planting, ornamental, forage and biofuel applications are commercially available. Plantings are commonly established from seed; however, seed quality and dormancy are barriers to establishment. The objective here was to investigate parameters that contribute to inconsistent performance of this seed kind to subsequently improve seed lot quality.

Forty-two seed lots were used, with seed fill and germination potential ranging from 78- 100% and 11-91%, respectively. Actual germination and dormant seed ranged …